1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to vehicle entertainment/information systems and, more particularly, to an apparatus for enabling such systems to accommodate various sources of multimedia content.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many vehicles, such as automobiles, recreational vehicles, and trucks, include some type of communications bus for carrying video/audio content and commands to and from the vehicle's entertainment system. The entertainment system typically includes an audio device, such as a radio and/or compact disc player, and may also include a video device, such as a video screen, for conveying visual content. An external source of multimedia content, such as a digital audio player, may be connected to the communications bus to thereby enable the external content to be played back on the internal audio/video devices of the vehicle entertainment system. For example, audio content may be retrieved from the hard drive of a digital audio player that is connected to the vehicle's communications bus. An auxiliary port or jack dedicated to the particular type of digital audio player may be used to connect the digital audio player to the communications bus. The retrieved audio content may then be played back via the audio device and speakers of the vehicle's entertainment system.
There are, however, several limitations to known methods of connecting an external digital audio player to an entertainment/information (“infotainment”) system of a vehicle. One problem is that the basic vehicle infotainment subsystem elements and architecture must be modified in order to add new capabilities or to accommodate new technologies. Such modifications are difficult to integrate into an existing vehicle design, and thus must typically be postponed one or more model years until the vehicle undergoes a redesign. That is, the major infotainment subsystem elements, such as head units, etc., must be redesigned in order to incorporate the new capabilities in an integrated manner.
An alternative to the vehicle redesign is for the consumer to purchase an aftermarket non-integrated product. However, such an aftermarket product is typically less functional and more costly that what could have been provided by the vehicle manufacturer. One specific scenario in which this comes into play is the case wherein a particular original equipment manufacturer (OEM) port or jack is capable of accommodating only one particular type of external digital audio player. Thus, if digital audio player technology changes, or if the user desires to use a different type of digital audio player, then a different aftermarket port or jack must be connected to the communications bus.
Neither the vehicle redesign option nor the aftermarket product option is attractive to the vehicle manufacturer and the dealer. The redesign option results in product proliferation, logistical problems in dealing with product mix, and more costly and less competitive products. The aftermarket product option results in loss of sales revenue to the vehicle manufacturer and dealer.
Another problem is that it is not possible to control the external digital audio player via the entertainment system and the communications bus. That is, it is only possible to manually control the digital audio player locally at its user interface to thereby cause the player to transmit audio content to the vehicle entertainment system via the communications bus.
What is needed in the art is a device that enables new technologies to be introduced into a vehicle infotainment system as upgrades or as “dealer-installed options” without burdening all new vehicles with significant infrastructure costs that may or may not be needed by every customer.